Al-Watan (Kuwait)

For other uses, see Al-Watan (disambiguation).

Al Watan
TypeDaily newspaper
PublisherAl Watan publishing house
Editor-in-chiefKhalifa Al Ali Al Sabah
Associate editorWaleed Al Jasem
Founded17 January 1974
LanguageArabic
Ceased publicationJanuary 2015
HeadquartersShuwaikh, Kuwait City
WebsiteAl Watan

Al-Watan (in Arabic الوطن meaning The Homeland) was a Kuwaiti Arabic language daily published by the Al Watan publishing house. The editor in chief was Khalifa Al Ali Al Sabah, a member of the Kuwaiti ruling family, Al Sabah.[1] The paper was in circulation between 1974 and 2015.

History and profile

The paper was launched in 1974.[2][3] Al Watan was suspended by the Kuwaiti government on 30 August 1976.[4] In April 2014, the paper and Alam Al Youm were temporarily closed down for two weeks by the Kuwaiti government due to the publication of a videotape showing former senior officials plotting a coup in Kuwait.[5] In June 2014, both papers were shut down for five days because of the same reason.[1][6]

In January 2015, the Kuwaiti government shut down Al Watan basen on the grounds that the newspaper had violated the license law, since it had less than enough capital to maintain a license.[7]

Circulation

Al Watan sold 86,000 copies in 2001 making it the second best selling newspaper in the country.[8] The 2006 circulation of the paper was 100,000 copies.[9]

The paper's online version was the second most visited website for 2010 in the MENA region.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Kuwait orders temporary closure of newspapers over defiance of gag order". Middle East Eye. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  2. ^ "Kuwait Press". Press Reference. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  3. ^ Khaled Al Jaber; Barrie Gunter (2013). "Evolving News Systems in the Gulf Countries". In Barrie Gunter; Roger Dickinson (eds.). News Media in the Arab World: A Study of 10 Arab and Muslim Countries. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-4411-0239-3.
  4. ^ "Chronology August 16, 1976-November 15, 1976". Middle East Journal. 31 (1): 54. Winter 1977. JSTOR 4325586.
  5. ^ "Kuwait shuts down newspapers after coup tape controversy". Your Middle East. AFP. 20 April 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Kuwait papers closed for violating 'plot' blackout". BBC. 20 April 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  7. ^ "Kuwait shuts Al-Watan newspaper". Middle East Monitor. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  8. ^ "World Press Trends" (PDF). World Association of Newspapers. Paris. 2004. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  9. ^ "Kuwait" (PDF). Publicitas. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  10. ^ "Forbes Releases Top 50 MENA Online Newspapers; Lebanon Fails to Make Top 10". Jad Aoun. 28 October 2010. Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2014.